


We would be lying if we said we haven't been waiting for each other

by soulhead



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Falling in love with your teammate, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25706599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulhead/pseuds/soulhead
Summary: Daniel hasn’t been able to stop smiling like a complete moron for the past ten minutes. Here in this impersonal and dimly lit hotel room, he still can't believe he's allowed to just revel in the feeling of utter contentment that Lando’s embrace brings to him.Or, Lando turns out to be much more than just another new teammate for Daniel.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciard/Lando Norris
Comments: 31
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

Daniel becomes aware only too late that his attachment to his new teammate has grown to a much larger scope than what he initially had expected. This realization comes as he’s laying on the sofa of his hotel room and he has Lando draped over him as he sleeps, head heavily slumped against his shoulder and breathing deeply. He’s slowly falling himself asleep too despite the fact that he’s pretty sure he can’t feel his legs anymore from Lando’s weight on him. And yet, Daniel hasn’t been able to stop smiling like a complete moron for the past ten minutes. Lando’s embrace is similar to a warm and reassuring blanket that has engulfed him in the gentle feeling of contentment and he still can't believe he's allowed to just revel in it.

 _Forget Amber Lounge or yacht parties, this is the place to be_ , he ponders as he looks down fondly on his sleeping teammate. The room is only dimly lightened by the reflections of the city lights on the walls, yet it's enough for him to catch a glimpse of his teammate's peaceful expression. In turn, Daniel feels nothing but serenity in this moment.

He can already imagine the sound of Max's voice teasing him, telling him he’s grown soft with age.

He doesn’t care through. Maybe staying in is going to be part of his brand now, especially if his teammate keeps deciding to use him as his own personal pillow and in exchange he gets to card his left hand shamelessly through Lando’s hair.

What can he say ? Curly hair have always been his weakness and he isn’t even saying that to flatter himself.

The truth is that since day one as a McLaren driver, he’s fallen head first in the trap Lando's kind-hearted nature has set up for him. Daniel simply wasn't prepared for how the younger adult is full of characteristic that seems so foreign and ill-matched with everything a formula 1 driver should be. And maybe, Daniel realizes that now, maybe he was too busy trying to figure out the ins and outs of Lando that he didn’t notice how he insidiously wormed his way into his heart.

 _He never stood a chance, did he ?_ He asks himself as he chuckles softly before quickly holding his breath to silence himself as Lando shifts in his arms, his eyes fortunately remaining tightly shut.

 _Sleep some more,_ Daniel catches himself wishing fervently as he moves his hand slowly and gently over Lando's back to appease him. He might revel in the company of his teammate when he is high on energy and engaging in never-ending discussions with him but there's _something_ in this moment. Something so special in watching Lando sleeping unguarded in his arms, something that makes him want to stretch this moment for as long as he can.

And as Daniel's own eyelids start feeling heavier with sleep, his mind subconsciously carries him to the time where he didn't even think someone could take such an integral part in his life, especially not his then ever shy new teammate.

***

[2nd February 2021 Woking, England]

During his very first days as an official McLaren driver, Lando is the furthest of his worries.

He's got new team dynamics to learn to navigate through, new engineers, new aerodynamicist to collaborate with, _hell_ a new car to learn to drive.

Most of the time, it's a process that is exciting, reinvigorating, _awesome_.

Right then through, as Daniel sits in the cafeteria of the McLaren HQ after the end of his second formal meeting of the 2021 pre-season, he feels like every bit of a small child who lost trail of his parents in a supermarket.

Micheal – his performance coach - had to leave him on his own as soon as his last meeting ended and now he sits alone at the cafeteria. He has nursed his glass of water for the last 10 minutes to hide the fact that he doesn't know how to fill the time until his planned photoshoot comes up.

Bored out of his mind and filled with nervous energy, his brain takes this opportunity to think about Renault, the team he just quit without a look back at the end of last year.

He is past staring wild eyed at the ceiling in the middle of the night, listing every overtake he should have been able to achieve, every time he shouldn’t have tried to push his car beyond it’s limit, mistaking the Renault he was driving for his old Red Bull. Now, he breathes a little easier knowing this small chapter of his life with the French team is closed, especially after a second year with too many DNFs for his own liking.

« Hi Daniel ! » a familiar voice pulls him out of his inner-thoughts. Snapping his head up in surprise, he’s faced with the shy smile of his new teammate who is holding a tray filled with cups of various hot drinks.

« Fuck Lando, you scared me ! » he says with a shaky laugh as he puts his hand on his chest to calm his frantic heartbeat.

« Ah sorry, I- Uhm..I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with me and some of the team at the terrace ? » Lando rushes out, pink filling up his cheeks.

« There’s a terrace ? »

Lando nods « Just upstairs ! »

« Oh yeah sure ! » he quickly gathers his belongings and follows him. As they walk silently to the stairs, Daniel wracks his brain to find a subject of discussion. Until today, Lando and he only briefly crossed path in the McLaren HQ, both never able to find time to say more to each other than a quick hi. It's not that they are total strangers, they've had their moments around the paddock during the last two years. Yet, it hasn't escaped to Daniel that his teammate has almost always looked intimidated, eyes shifting rapidly and looking everywhere except his eyes whenever they talked together.

Small talk will have to do for now « You pulled an all-nighter ? » He points out to the tray he is carrying with a teasing smirk.

« Oh no, I arrived late this morning so I’m on barista duty ! I’ve got one for you as well !» Lando explains and by the look of it, Daniel guesses this is a recurring instance for him. Once on the last step of the stairs, Lando guides him through a small hall and pushes with one foot the door in front of him.

« Here ! » his guide maintains the door for him as Daniel walks through it. He falters slightly in his steps as he takes in the sight of the terrace and the direct view it gives him to the artificial lake just below them.

_Well, that's a welcome change from the industrial area surrounding Renault headquarters._

« Look who I found ! » he hears Lando declares in direction of a small crowded table. He recognizes a few faces, engineers and PR people he got introduced to earlier this week, as well as Zak Brown, the company CEO, whom he only met twice after signing his contract.

A series of enthusiastic greeting follow and soon enough everyone at the table rearrange their seats to make room for him. While Lando delivers the multiple coffee in his hands around the table, Zak Brown pats the empty chair in an invitation, startling Daniel from his spot.

« Thanks Mister Brown !»

« Ah loosen up Daniel, just call me Zak ! »

«Or dude !» Lando's trainer chips in « just this morning me and Lando counted and he said it seven time during our meeting !»

«Oh, so you're admitting that you two weren't listening to anything I said then ?» Zak remarks in a playful disapproving tone.

«We were doing it for linguistica-» Lando interrupts himself as he stumbles over the word, leading to few teasing remarks from the people around the table «- _lingustic_ purposes !»

« Oh, be careful with where you're going next with that young man ! » warns Zak, making Lando gasps in a over-exaggerated manner.

Daniel then watches with interest the exchange that follows filled with good-natured banter between everyone at the table. He can't help but be surprised to see them all behave in such a warm way around one another, especially in presence of the company's CEO.

It’s a strange dynamic, one so foreign in comparison to the high pressure of Red Bull or the cold and distant atmosphere that reigned in Renault.

It’s... _nice_.

 _Heartwarming almost_.

It stings a little though, to feel like the distant cousin who stands out like a sore thumb in the middle of this seemingly tightly knit family. Michael, in his annoyingly wise voice, would say it's all part of the uneasy yet natural process of finding his place into a new team, that he just has to be patient.

« Have I got something on my face ? » Lando frowns as he wipes his mouth with his napkin. Nobody else is paying attention to them, the rest of the table seems engrossed in listening to a subject that escapes him.

« Oh, sorry I was zoning out, didn’t mean to stare ! » he rushes out, embarrassed.

« Want me to bring you another one ? » his younger teammate points to the cappuccino he’s finishing with a look of concern on his face, probably interpreting Daniel's distractedness as a sign of fatigue .

« Nah, I'll manage...By the way how did you know I wanted a cappuccino ? »

Visibly embarrassed by this question, Lando scratches his head « Max told me you used to down them left and right at Red Bull... »

« So Max is just spilling my secret out in the open now ? I’ll have a few words with him next time I see him. »

That brings out a small chuckle from Lando « I’ll warn him about it, then. »

After that, their conversation falls into a pleasant rhythm and Daniel soon feels all his nervous energy leaves his limbs as they share their ideas for helmet design for the upcoming season. Usually, he would worry about excluding everyone at the table from their discussion. Yet, the light in which Lando's eyes sparkle vividly as he speaks about a new color scheme he's tried at his home makes him forget about the rest of the table. It's obvious to Daniel that Lando shares his fascination with designing his own helmet and he's glad his teammate seems engrossed enough in their current discussion to temporarily forget about his usual reserve around him.

Later, as Daniel looks for a picture of the helmet he has already planned for the Australian GP to show it to Lando, he absentmindedly catches sight of the time on his phone.

« Hey, didn’t we have the shooting at 11:15 ? » he wonders outloud.

A few curses rise at the table as the ambient chit-chat stops at his remark and everyone around him except a few engineers stands up abruptly to gather their belongings. In a hurry Daniel follows his assigned communication managed who hastily gives him the direction to the photoshoot. Just as he is about to close the terrace's door, he realizes Lando isn't following him and is still at the table, gathering all the cups on his tray.

At this sight, a strange feeling courses his body and he feels his own heart softens. Max certainly wasn't lying about Lando's boyscout attitude (because yes, Lando isn't the only one who tried to fish informations out about the other through their common friend). Snapping out of his thought, he walks rapidly back to Lando who turns to meet him halfway.

« Barista duty is hard work, uh ? »

« It is, thanks for waiting anyway !» Lando beams at him while walking carefully to not let anything fall off his tray.

« Wait, here let me take a few ! » Daniel says as he takes four cups in his hand.

« Much better ! Now, let’s hurry up before the PR guys get our heads off for taking so long ! »

As quickly as they can they make their go downstairs, Daniel opening the multiple doors on their way as both Lando's hands are busy with the tray he holds. They arrive at the cafeteria and give away all their coffee cups to a nice catering lady whose name Daniel doesn't catch.

« Impeccable teamwork and season hasn’t even started ! » Daniel says enthusiastically as he squeezes his younger teammate shoulder. Through the gesture is nothing but friendly, he feels Lando’s body tenses immediately under the contact. As if burned, Daniel pulls away his hand immediately « Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable! »

His younger teammate starts shaking his head « No, no it’s just me, sometime I’m...a bit weird about touching.» Lando mumbles apologetically and looking frustrated with himself.

« But you’re not weirded out when Carlos hugs you ? » he asks bluntly before he can stop himself, numerous instances of the two friend hugging each other around the paddock coming up in his memory.

« Well, yeah but...Carlos is like a big brother to me ? So I guess it's different... »

« No big deal, I’ll just have to keep my octopus hands to myself. » he tries to ease the Lando’s worries away.

Just as Lando opens his mouth to answer back, a booming voice resonates through the cafeteria «Lando ! Daniel ! Hurry up !»

As he watches his teammate rushes toward the blond haired woman waiting for them, Daniel feels an odd sense of jealously over Carlos. He doesn't know how to explain it, but even during the few moments they had together last season, he's been persuaded that Lando and him could match more than well if only Lando didn't hold himself back around him. Right now, he's determined to put down the walls Lando has built around him, even if he knows his focus should be one hundred percent on his new car and definitely not on his teammate.

With this desire in mind, the next three weeks, consisting mostly of joint interviews, team meetings and rushed coffee break, pass in a flash. And when they take their flight to the first test of the season, by then, Daniel has started being accustomed to the weird sense of pride that bubbles inside his chest as he notices his younger teammate grows more and more comfortable around him.

It's only tiny signs of encouragement, like the little smile now Lando hold just for him as he greets him, or the increasing number of inside joke they share. And as they progressively learn to be familiar with one another, it doesn't escape that his own yearning for more (of what precisely he isn't sure yet) grows exponentially.

He just needs to be patient.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Piercing through Lando’s carapace doesn’t happen overnight. Of course it doesn’t, because for a person whose job consists of potentially risking his life every weekend, Lando is surprisingly fast at scattering away rapidly when he feels like it.

And so, a strange dance carries on between the two of them, Lando seemingly being afraid to show a side of him that might not please his new teammate (Daniel’s pretty sure it can’t happen) and Daniel himself evaluating all of his own actions, dreading to somehow scare off his younger teammate with a wrong move.

Fortunately through, as most of their concentration become centered around the first races of the season, Lando starts to visibly relax around him. Rapidly, an evident routine develops itself between the two of them. Every Thursday before the start of the week-end they walk around the track together, inspecting every new single tiny bumps they come across, recalling small anecdotes of the previous races and just enjoying each other's company. The morning before qualification, they always share a small breakfast together and Daniel has to quickly learn to hide behind teasing laughters the fondness he feels at the sight of his teammate. It's not his fault Lando sleep-addled face is simply _too_ adorable as he slowly makes his way through his bowl of cereal.

Their time spent together is also punctuated by more unexpected and spontaneous moments : sneaking out of their hotel to explore whichever city they are in or crashing in the other’s room at random times to watch the most obscure movie they can find and mostly just living in each other‘s pockets. Those infinitely small moments, ones that could pass for just two teammates bonding together, make Daniel’s heart feels like it’s oozing with mushy happiness.

And Daniel might be in over his head about his younger teammate, but he still knows it's never been like that with Max or even Esteban. Naturally, his heightened interest in Lando hasn't gone unnoticed to those who are the closest to him. « What's so special about him ? » Michael had asked him once during their training session. Daniel then hadn't be able to find a few concise words to explain it to his trainer and longtime friend.

All he knows with a certainty is that there's this magnetic pull around Lando that forces him to stay close to him, to seek his presence. As he visibly struggled to find a satisfying answer to best describe his jumbled feelings, his trainer had appeased him, saying that he was just glad that they got along well despite their differences.

_And for once, Daniel realizes, Michael doesn't get him._

When he talks to Lando, he sees everything but an opposite. There's this indescribable element of likeliness in the way they see the world from their different point of view that Daniel has never seen matched beforehand. And it fascinates him to no end.

However, those words remain stuck in his throat, as if they were simply too big to exit his body. So as uncharacteristically as it is for him, he keeps quiet until Michael changes subjects.

And as he watches the different Grand Prix go by, blurring together when his times with Lando remains clearly imprinted in his memories, he finally realizes something that he might have vastly overlooked since the beginning of this season :

He has a tiny, small infatuation over Lando.

 _More like a good fat ol' crush on his teammate_ , he corrects himself self-deprecatingly.

A crush that is awfully distracting, when he knows he has no control over it and that makes him feel like a starved animal, looking out for anything his teammate is willing to give him.

That's how he feels like for the better part of the first half of the season :

_Starved._

And Daniel is almost resigned to the fact that no matter how small the wall between the two of them has become, it will always remains there. He'll maybe never be a confidant to Lando, just a great teammate and someone he hopes Lando can call a great friend too, but nothing more.

That is, until a breakthrough in their relationship happens when he least expects it. They are coming back from the French GP to England by sharing the same private flight : not the most conventional place for anything major in his life to happen, but hey, Daniel isn't complaining.

To fill up the time during their flight, Lando had randomly selected a movie just as their plane took off. It turns out to be a western movie with a lower budget than what it cost Daniel to book their flight. For once, it's not Daniel who picked a terrible movie to watch, he realizes and teases Lando relentlessly about it, insisting they watch the whole movie for the hell of it.

He's laughing at one of the scene on the screen, but he soon notices from the side of his eyes that Lando isn't paying any attention to the nonsense they are watching.

Unable to stop himself, he pauses the movie and gently nudges his teammate with his elbow «What's the matter ?»

Lando turns his head rapidly to him and tries to school his face in a unconvincing smile. «Ah, not much, got distracted.»

«By what ?» he says softly.

For a moment Lando hesitates «We've just flown over the region where I grew up.» he ends up saying with a unconvincing detached tone, the one he always use when he doesn't say to Daniel half of what he really wants to. And god, does Daniel hates hearing it.

«Oh really ?» Daniel decides to pretend to be satisfied by Lando's answer and focuses his attention to the windows next to his seat, only to see green pasture below them and houses that looks like nothing but tiny dots this far away «You were raised a country boy, uh ?»

«Say the one who introduced me to his head of sheep in Australia...» Lando says, his teasing remark falling flat as his voice wavers slightly before he averts his eyes to the windows, a frown on his face.

«You sure you alright ?»

«Yeah...It's just...Every time I fly over it, It just hits me you know ? I just wish I could be back to my family's place.»

«So why don't you spend some time there once we're done at the factory ?»

«Nah, I got my own house now, I don't want to intrude.»

«You can't intrude at your own family's house, what are you talking about ?»

That seems to be the wrong thing to say, because Lando tenses up visibly and says flippantly « Yeah, uhm- sorry. I guess I'm just tired.»

«No, hey, keep going, I'm all ears !»

«It's just...I've been away for so long...I moved in a flatshare when I was like 17 and even before that I was mostly never home...» Lando lets out a long shaky sigh, marking a pause for a few seconds before continuing «Coming back there even for just a dinner always feels weird, 'cause it's so obvious I don't really belong there anymore. So I just ends up wanting to leave as fast as I can but I also want to stay entire days, you know ? It just sucks, that's all...» he concludes dejectingly.

In this moment, when he sees how disheartened Lando look he yearns to reach out, to engulf him in a bear hug or to take Lando's clenched fists into his hands and run his thumbs over them until they relax. Anything, just so he doesn't have to see the way the usual light shining in Lando's eyes seems dimmed.

But he doesn't move, knowing none of these gesture will bring any comfort to Lando, at least not yet. Anxiously, he tries to reassure him with words : an exercise he isn't familiar with when a warm and solid embrace has always been his go-to comfort technique. At first, he fumbles over his words to explain he felt the same when he was younger. He talks about the days he could barely breath with how much he missed his home, when he was just 18 years old and living alone a world apart from his family. He doesn't linger on for too long on those moments through, preferring to focus on how he managed to pull through this difficult time to prompt Lando to open up to him. And soon enough, his teammate does. He recalls his childhood with an unmistakable fondness on his face, talks about his worries for his little sister who sprained his ankle during a show jumping competition last week and Daniel does his best to disperse the clouds over his teammate's head by listening intently to every word.

The rest of the plane ride passes quicker than he would like, one hour is definitely not enough to be able to get to finally _really_ talk with Lando like he's been waiting for since the beginning of the year : to connect with him on more than just the superficial level.

Fortunately for him, through the next days Daniel quickly realizes that this time was the first of many between the two of them. It seems that despite all, he must have said something right during their plane ride because after that, there's a glint of openness that shines in Lando's gaze that wasn't there before. Most importantly, Daniel doesn't see anymore the small weak smile that doesn't reach his eyes, the one Lando used to throw him whenever he obviously felt down but didn't want Daniel to take notice. Instead, his teammate comes looking for the comfort Daniel is more than happy to provide.

 _And the little crush he had on Lando ? Well, it grows to the size of a continent,_ he laments.

He tries to keep it to himself, trying to digest the fact that he's infatuated with his teammate.

He thinks he's doing a good job at it, until Max, the nosy little pest, sees right through him.

Daniel is just minding his own business at the afterparty of the Italian Grand Prix when it happens. He's having a small chat with his race engineer and enjoying the small pleasant buzz coursing through his body as he nurses his third drink of the night. From far away, he throws discreet glances at Lando. He can't resist. At least not when his teammate, dressed up all in black for the occasion, makes for such an enticing view even when he's standing on the other side of the room.

Coming out from nowhere, he hears a familiar voice on his left « So, short and nerdy is your style ? »

«Jeez, Max where the fuck did you come from ?»

«Answer my question.» Max deadpans.

It takes Daniel a few embarrassingly long seconds to understand what Max is talking about « Is that how you describe your friend ? »

« So you’re not denying that you dig him ? »

« Dig him ? Where are we, two high-schoolers during recess ? »

« Ah Daniel, deflection doesn't suit you ! » Max declares, voice full of faux empathy « Anyway, what's your plan? You're gonna make a move or you're just gonna stare at him creepily from afar ? »

« I’m not going to do anything, he’s my teammate and that’s all there is to it. Sorry to disappoint. » he says as he turns to Max.

«Really ?» his old teammate says dubiously «That's a shame, he's been talking my ears off about every single things you did for the last 3 months and I'm getting sick of it.»

Daniel's heart misses a beat at this piece of information and just as he's about to ask more details to Max, he realizes the dutch has vanished from his side to go god knows where.

Probably off to order another series of those disgusting blue shots he seems to like so much.

When he focuses back his attention to where Lando was, his eyes eventually catch sight of the bright red jumper Max has been sporting for the evening, only to realize he's standing near Lando and pointing in his own direction with a shit-eating grin. Lando seems to notice him, waves timidly at him and seems to be inviting him to come over.

Leaving his engineer behind, he reaches the small group and tries his best to join the ongoing discussion, even if he has to scream simply to be heard over the deafening music that has just started to blast through the speakers even louder than before.

Unable to continue their discussion further, they rapidly shift away to a quieter corner of the room, all letting a sigh of relief once the noise quietens down.

« You alright ? » Max asks Lando, concerns on his face obvious when he see him still wincing.

« Yeah, clubs aren’t really my scene is all. »

« Come on Lando, loosen up, it’s not with this attitude you’re gonna find yourself someone, you need to mingle ! » interjects one Bert – one member of Lando's own team.

« I’m sure he doesn’t even need to be in clubs to find people interested in him. » Max defends his friend while looking heavily in Daniel’s direction.

Thankfully for him, nobody seems to catch Max's innuendo and as the conversation carries on.

And he might have drank more than he thought, because before he realizes it he goes on a tangent about how someone as _cute_ and _lovely_ as Lando will find a girl or boy in no time at all. Thankfully, he has no opportunity to regret his bluntness when he observes delightfully how a blush creeps rapidly all over Lando's face to reach even the tips of his ear.

« You want to go outside ? » he proposes to Lando once he refocuses himself on the conversation and he notices the topic of the current single state of Lando hasn’t changed.

Lando agrees eagerly, probably looking forward to any way out of the present discussion. After excusing themselves from the group and a few minutes of navigation through the packed crowds of the club, they find a back door exit. Instantly as the door close behind themselves, Daniel takes a deep breath of much needed fresh air and Lando whistles at the night sky.

« This dude was very keen on you being made an honest man, uh ? »

« That’s Bert for you. Part-engineer, part-matrimonial agency...» Daniel scoffs at Lando's answer before a comfortable silence installs itself between the two of them. Wordlessly, they decide to take a stroll next to a small canal. Lazily they follow the stream of water, not caring where their steps are leading them to.

They end up finding themselves a nearby bench on the walk alongside the river. After resting their legs for a little bit, they only then realize that they have no idea how to get back to the club they were in. Yet, neither of them seem to really care at the moment, choosing to just enjoy each other's presence. Tourists pass by their bench without taking notice of them, while their small discussion carries on. Daniel then realizes that getting lost in the middle of a foreign town isn't the worst thing that could happen to him, not when he's got Lando to be lost with.

Daniel also notes delightfully that Lando feels dangerously close to him and despite the heat of the summer night, he can't help but lean closer to his teammate too as they look back to the beginning of their season.

« I'm glad you're my teammate... » Lando mutters and Daniel can only hum in approval. He's glad to have Lando as his teammate too.

After that, Daniel doesn't really remember the rest of the evening, except for the clear feeling a contentment that remained a constant by Lando's side.

Eventually their time together comes to an end and they find their way back to the hotel. Before he goes to sleep his last thought are dedicated to muse about how intimate their time together seemed on this bench. It felt to Daniel as if he was entrusting his deepest secrets into Lando’s hands despite the fact that nothing of the sort took place.

« _I'm gonna tell him next week._ » is the simple text he sends to Max the following morning, without further details. Max's reply, a simple « _thank fuck_ » is not the reassurance he needs, but it's coming from Max, so it's probably all he'll get.

Two weeks later turns out to come way too soon for him to actually have time to think about the complex technicalities of how to confess to his teammate without making a fool of himself. Honestly, Max has dropped enough hints that his feelings are returned by Lando over the last few months, so it's not like he's taking a jump into the unknown, but still. He doesn't want to risk anything and the simple thought of approaching Lando the wrong way fills him with dread.

To make matters worse, his Friday turns into nightmare by the end of the second free practice when he reaccelerates too abruptly outside of turn 3 and ends up spinning his car and crashes it right into a barrier. A fissured rear wing, no time set in FP2 and sore shoulders : _What a great start for the week-end._ He takes all his time to lament over his situation with his headphones on while he watches absentmindedly the mechanics repair his car as the session come to an end.

A while later, Daniel senses a hand resting on his stiff shoulder. He quickly shuts down his music and puts down his headphone.

It's Lando, looking like he rushed to him straight out of the car, his curls going in all directions «Are you alright ? The crash looked nasty ! » his teammate asks worryingly.

Daniel almost doesn't answer, too flabbergasted by the waves of warmth Lando's hands on his shoulder send through his entire body.

And guess what ?

Daniel is freaking out _._ All his senses are on high-alert because Lando «I'm-weirded-out-when-people-get-too-close-to-my-personnal-space» is touching him.

_Did he hit his head in the cockpit when he crashed ? He must have, it's the only explanation._

«Daniel ?»

«Ah yeah yeah, I'm alright, 'bit bruised though... » he says, rubbing his shoulders as he relives the painful impact of his car on the wall. Lando's hands leave him to let him move freely and it takes all his self-control to not just whine at the loss of the comforting contact.

As he starts complaining about his sore body and having to go through a team meeting before the day is over, Lando stays close to him, listening intently to his ramblings with understanding eyes.

A sudden sense of bravado travels through, _his day is shit anyway, so it can't get any worse, can't it_ _?_

«Do-Uhm...Do you plan to go back to the hotel after the team debrief ? If not we could go explore the city tonight. Just for one hour or two ?»

«Nah, you need to sleep it off mate if you don't want to feel like death tomorrow.»

At this answer, Daniel's shoulder instantly sags in disappointment and it must show on his face as well, because Lando does a double-take of him before realization seems to dawn on him «Wait...Were you...Uhm-were you asking me out ?» his teammate finally asks.

«I-Well...» he hesitates for a few seconds «Will that change your answer if I say that I was ?» he stammers, heart rate dangerously spiking and cringing at the thought of being rejected purely and simply for the second time in barely five minutes.

«Nope, I'll make sure you'll go straight to your hotel this evening.» Lando stops for a moment «But we could have dinner at the hotel's rooftop-terrace ? They make a mean lasagna !»

For a moment, Daniel finds nothing else to do than to grin widely at Lando, before he gets a hold of himself.

«Really ? And what a Briton like you do know about lasagnas ?» he jokes. Lando doesn't bite back, only smiles coyly at him. After that, they watch distractingly the scene of all their mechanics working on both of their car. _They must look deranged_ , Daniel thinks, as they stand close to each other and breaking out in nervous giggles for no apparent reason whenever their gaze meet.

«Today isn't so bad after all.» Daniel mutters out-loud, unable to believe what just has happened.

«Hey, don't act so self-satisfied. I'm pretty high maintenance, so you better be on your best behavior tonight if you don't want your day to be definitively ruined.»

Daniel immediately schools his expression into an serious one «Copy that ! I'll be the best date you've ever had !» he declares solemnly before both Lando and he break out in yet another fit of giggles.

Around them, their mechanics are too busy fussing over both their car to notice anything peculiar about them.

It's a shame though. Because, behind the seemingly inconspicuous moment both drivers shares, anyone paying close attention would have witnessed the start of something greater than any of them could have ever imagined when Lando and Daniel first became teammates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this fic ! Thank you all for commenting and leaving a kudo <3

**Author's Note:**

> I hardly receive any comments so please, even just a little 2 worded comments would make my day if you enjoyed this chapter <3


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